RIFFS!
Simon Barnard showcases how the guitar riff has been integral to popular music since the ’50s. This lesson is designed to help you create authentic sounding rhythm and lead ideas with the minimum of fuss.
VIDEO & AUDIO https://bit.ly/3vVtyrs
The guitar is one of the most popular instruments of all time. Ever since Les Paul and Leo Fender put their names on some of the first ever solidbody electric guitar lines in the 1940s and ‘50s, the instrument has become a huge part of pop culture, and maintained this status ever since. Along with the development of amplification and effects, the electric guitar is one of the most important developments in 20th century music. Amplifiers allowed guitarists to step out of their traditional accompaniment role and provide solos and riffs that could cut through the band with ease. Since the ’50s and even before, riffs have held legendary status among players and fans alike. A great guitar riff makes the song memorable, and has helped plenty of guitarists become heroes in the process.
The riff can take many forms, which you will see throughout the following seven mini pieces, covering a range of playing styles over the last 70 years. Single-note riffs have been common in all styles of music, with double-stops employed to add a little more output to the texture. Riffs can be chordy, too, whether it’s overdriven powerchords or arpeggiated triads and extensions. Effects have also played their part, with players from Jimi Hendrix to The Edge using new sounds to create something different.
Two of the most popular scales for creating riffs are the Minor Pentatonic (R-b3-4-5-b7) and Blues scale (R-b3-4-b5-5bb7). These appear throughout our study across all decades, sometimes with the inclusion of additional chromatic passing notes. The Mixolydian mode (R-2-3-4-56-b7) is a popular choice to play over Dominant 7th chords and Major triads, with the Major Pentatonic (R-2-3-5-6) another great scale to employ in Major keys. The Natural Minor (R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7) is often used for riffs of a heavier persuasion.
The following six decade study pieces show how guitar riffs have been employed from the 1950s through to the 2000s. You will learn a lot from rhythmic approaches through to harmonic ideas.
While it’s impossible to select the best riffs ever, we have referenced some of particular note (see left). If you listen and/or play each song riff, see if you can spot anything shared from structural simplicity to rhythms, chord usage to key centres.
Lastly, as this feature is full of tips, make sure you come up with your own riffs too. While the best ones maybe already recorded,you might just create the next Smoke On The Water or
